Kelly Ripa has some concerns about her former Live co-host Ryan Seacrest when it comes to his new job as host of Wheel of Fortune, which he’s set to take over after Pat Sajak retires next June.
Appearing on the most recent episode of Justin Long‘s Life Is Short podcast, Ripa revealed that she’d been talking to Wheel‘s long-time letter-turner Vanna White about Seacrest and her worries about how he’ll perform as host.
“Ryan Seacrest is the only person I know, besides myself, and I say ‘besides myself,’ but he may actually be worse than me… he is a terrible speller,” Ripa told Long.
“He doesn’t read things in a grid properly often,” she continued. “I’m actually concerned. And this is the first time I’ve ever been concerned for Ryan Seacrest where I go, ‘Is he gonna be able to understand this foundationally?’”
Long responded, “He seems so capable in every capacity, and that’s funny that his one weakness is spelling.”
“Spelling counts on that show,” Ripa replied, with Long adding, “It’s all it is!”
Ripa has actually told this to Seacrest in person when she interviewed him last week on her podcast, Let’s Talk Off Camera. “The only person worse at spelling [than me], is you,” she told the American Idol host.
“I know, it’s the great irony,” Seacrest said. “I’m glad you pointed that out to me because I have been saying to people after you said that, ‘Wow, Kelly reminded me how I have gotten to be such a bad speller, and my phone has made it worse.’”
He added, “The biggest test for me will be to try and spell the puzzles correctly.”
Ripa did say he should be fine so long as they give him the answers ahead of time. “I hope so; if they haven’t in the past, we need a new routine,” he quipped.
Sajak announced he would be stepping away from the long-running game show at the end of the currently airing 41st season. Seacrest is set to take over from Season 42, with White staying on as his co-host.
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This story originally appeared on TV Insider
